Senior defender helps get Hope's season flying

Hope co-captain Santino
DiCesare has 20 tackles this year to go along with an
interception.
Hope athletics photo

Santino DiCesare admits he wasn't sure how things would play out
for him in his new defensive role with Hope College.

DiCesare had been in the drop safety role in the defensive
backfield as a sophomore, racking up 49 tackles as he began to show
his promise for the Flying Dutchmen.

A year ago, he was asked to move to free safety.

"I was a little nervous," DiCesare said. "I hadn't played free
safety since my sophomore year of high school. I wasn't sure how
things were going to work out for me making the switch."

It turned out to be the best move possible for DiCesare, who
thrived in the wake of the change, finishing second on the team in
tackles (85). He picked off five passes as well and was named the
team's defensive MVP.

His effort helped the Flying Dutchmen finish third in the MIAA
standings with a 4-2 record. Hope was 5-5 overall.

"I was kind of surprised by how well it worked out," DiCesare
said. "I played well, and I think it helped me become a better
player. I think it worked out for our entire defense. We played
well."

DiCesare, a senior co-captain this season for Hope, which expects
to contend for the league championship this season, said he credits
his success during the transition to the coaching staff.

"They did a great job of getting me ready to make that move,"
DiCesare said. "I love being a ball hawk, and they gave me the
freedom to just go out and play football. I was able to just run to
the ball, hit hard and make plays."

DiCesare is off and running this season as well, making his share
of big plays to help Hope get off to a 2-0 start to its season. He
has racked up 20 tackles, tying him for the team lead with Kirby
Cook. He has picked off one pass as well for a defense that has
given up just 28 points in its first two games.

"This is my fourth year playing, so I have experience and
understand what I need to do to play well," DiCesare said. "I
worked hard on improving my technique over the summer and I've also
done my best to take on more of a leadership role and play with
more confidence."

In high school, DiCesare played on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, he saw time as a wide receiver and at running back.
But his first love was defense, and he expected to play on that
side of the ball in college.

"I definitely came in wanting to play defense," DiCesare said. "I
love playing offense, but nothing compares to playing defense. The
big adjustment for me was learning the different types of
coverages. It took a lot of time. Physically, I felt pretty good
coming in because we put a lot of emphasis on lifting and working
out in high school."

Adjusting to juggling football and school also took some time.

"Hope is a pretty tough school academically," DiCesare said. "It's
all about learning how to manage time. We are fortunate that every
year before the start of the season we have a time management
seminar. It gives us a chance to plan out our year. It's a big
help."

DiCesare was a big help to Hope on Saturday in its dominating 41-7
win over Millikin at home. He racked up seven tackles in the
victory. Hope has allowed only 14 points in the last seven quarters
of football and has scored 41 in back-to-back weeks.

"We were expecting that game with Milliken to be a battle until
the end," DiCesare said. "I was not expecting us to win the way we
did, but our offense and defense fed off each other. We were
clicking in all aspects of the game."

The early-season success has provided a big shot of confidence to
the Flying Dutchmen, who still have two more nonconference games to
play before MIAA action begins in October.

DiCesare said hard work in the offseason has played a crucial role
in the success Hope has enjoyed through the first two weeks of the
season.

"Our commitment in the offseason was tremendous," DiCesare said.
"We had so many more players stick around over the summer to work
out. They bought into what we were trying to accomplish. It helps
that we have a veteran team, too. We know what is expected of
us."

The experience factor should serve the Flying Dutchmen well in
their quest to be conference champions. With only six league games,
every Saturday counts and there is little room for error.

"We definitely want to compete for that championship," DiCesare
said. "Every game in our league is a test. There isn't one team you
can look past. We have to play our best every week to have a chance
to contend for a title."

While it remains to be seen how things will play out for Hope
during the 2013 season, DiCesare knows he wants to make this last
go-round with the Flying Dutchmen count.

"This is my last shot, and I want to make the most of it,"
DiCesare said. "Our coach always asks what kind of legacy we want
to leave here. We're motivated to play our best and hopefully we
can accomplish all of our goals."

In the poll

Points weren't in short supply for No. 19
Wabash on Saturday as it opened its season with a
69-0 win over Hanover. It was the most points scored by the Little
Giants (1-0) in a game in eight years.

Delon Pettiford was on top of his game defensively, recovering a
blocked punt for a touchdown and returning an interception for a
score as well. The pick by Pettiford was one of six by Wabash,
which held Hanover to just 45 yards of offense.

Pettiford is only a freshman and is coming off a senior season at
Indianapolis Lawrence where he won a state title.

Not only did the Little Giants have a field day picking off
passes, they also racked up five sacks and 15 tackles for a
loss.

Michael Putko thrived in his first start at quarterback, throwing
for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a
touchdown.

Tyler Holmes rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, picking up
96 of those yards in the second quarter. Nate Scola anchored the
defense with six tackles and two sacks.

Baldwin Wallace, which started the year No. 23,
remained in that spot after rolling to a 52-21 win over Bluffton on
the road.

Michael Slack led the Yellow Jackets (1-0) as he completed 12 of
his 15 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for
102 yards and a score.

The Yellow Jackets led 24-14 at the half and cranked out 527 yards
on the day, including 314 on the ground.

Javon Burks had a big day as he caught three passes for 100 yards
and a touchdown. David Flegal anchored the defensive attack with a
game-high 12 tackles. The Yellow Jackets gave up 385 yards to
the Beavers.

Baldwin Wallace converted on 50 percent of its third down attempts
and forced one turnover. No. 1 Mount Union, one of two other nationally ranked OAC
teams, was idle on Saturday. The Purple Raiders (1-0) open league
play Saturday against Muskingum.

Heidelberg(1-0), ranked
12th in the nation, returns to action Saturday at home against Ohio
Northern in an OAC tilt, and No. 17
Wittenberg(0-1) opens NCAC play at
DePauw on Saturday.

Inside the MIAA

Trine won its seventh consecutive home
opener, and the streak was extended in memorable fashion as the
Thunder (2-0) stunned No. 21 Elmhurst 16-7 on Saturday.

The Thunder stepped up big on defense, racking up four
interceptions, including three on the final three possessions of
the day for the Bluejays. Richard Gunn delivered the dagger as he
scored on a 15-yard run with 1:38 left to put the Thunder in front
16-7.

Gunn finished with 129 yards on 18 carries to pace the rushing
attack.

Anthony Yoder started the game and was 9-of-17 for 89 yards. He
rushed for 48 yards. Backup signal-caller Andrew Dee played the
final two quarters and was 5-of-8 for 45 yards. Gage Corner caught
six passes for 64 yards.

Derek Posey fueled the defense with 13 tackles. Blaek Combs made
life tough for the Bluejays as well, racking up 11 tackles to go
along with a forced fumble and an interception.

Trine limited Elmhurst to 127 rushing yards. Elmhurst had rolled
up 302 rushing yards in Week 1. The four interceptions by Trine
were the most in a game since picking off four against Alma in
November of 2011.

Olivetshut down Wisconsin
Lutheran in the second half and nailed down a 14-10 win Saturday in
its home opener.

The Comets (2-0) trailed 7-0 early and were down 10-7 at the half
before Braden Black connected with Dan Hugan on a 48-yard scoring
strike with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

Black was 18-of-29 for 232 yards and Hugan caught seven catches
for 115 yards. The Comets rolled up 337 yards of offense and gave
up 409 yards.

Yet, the Comets were able to play tough defensively when it
mattered most and came through with 13 tackles for a loss to fuel
its effort. Nate Roberts led Olivet with a game-high 14 tackles.
Ryan Sersaw finished with nine tackles and forced a fumble.

Inside the PAC

Ben Manwaring racked up eight tackles and
helped Grove City topple Anderson 42-0,
marking the first time since 2007 that the Wolverines have blanked
an opponent. It's the first road shutout Grove City since 2009.

The Wolverines (2-0) tallied seven sacks in all to fuel their
effort, including one by Manwaring, and limited Anderson to only 12
first downs.

Brian Pell was 16-of-21 for 187 yards and two scores, while Steve
Maskrey rushed for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns to aid an
offensive effort that scored on six of its seven trips in the red
zone.

Jason Skyrm tallied six tackles while Bobby Tuttle, Brandon Miller
and Dale Klobuchir finished with five tackles apiece. Grove
City forced two turnovers as well.

Geneva opened its PAC schedule in style by
rolling to a 51-33 win over Bethany on Saturday. The Golden
Tornadoes (2-0, 1-0 PAC) got a huge lift from quarterback Zack
Hayward, who threw for 417 yards. His total ranks third
all-time in passing yards for a game.

Lemuel Fuller caught 14 passes, which ranks second in receptions
for a single game, and finished with 140 receiving yards and one
touchdown. Dylan Jones led the rushing attack with 146 yards and a
pair of scores. Geneva came through with 665 yards of total
offense.

Matt Grimard led Bethany as he completed 30 of his 53 passes for
462 yards and four touchdowns. Grimard became the all-time leader
in touchdown passes at Bethany, pushing his total to 54, and
he set single-game records for passing yards (462) and total yards
(482).

Inside the NCAC

Denison opened NCAC play on a high note as
it took down Hiram 17-12 on Saturday. The Big Red trailed 7-0 early
but led 10-7 at halftime and never looked back.

The Big Red (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) finished with 337 yards of offense,
the majority of it coming through the air as Brandon Sklenar was
14-of-20 for 238 yards and a touchdown. Zach Pewitt led the
defense as he tallied eight tackles and helped Denison limit the
Terriers to 210 yards of offense.

Robert Partridge, who was injured in the second quarter, threw for
106 yards to pace Hiram. Brendon James caught four passes for 97
yards and a score. Garrett Primer tallied a game-high 10 tackles
for Hiram.

Oberlin ended a 28-game losing streak to
Case Western Reserve on Saturday behind a stellar defensive effort
that produced a 19-2 victory.

The Yeomen (1-0) were playing their season opener and gave up just
195 yards.

Lucas Poggiali was 11-of-17 for 100 yards and threw a touchdown
pass to Adam Niec. He also rushed for a touchdown in the
win. Niec caught three passes for 24 yards, and Oberlin
finished with 319 yards of total offense.

Kyle Kessler led the defense with six tackles. Kirby Livingston
tallied five tackles and forced a fumble. Gabe Edwards came up with
his first career interception in the victory.

Quick look at Tartans and Spartans

Carnegie Mellon won its first game of the
season as it broke open a close game with 13 points in the final
quarter to earn a 26-7 win over Allegheny on Saturday.

The Tartans (1-1) used an effective running attack, rolling up 222
yards on the ground, and finished with 410 yards of total
offense.

Troy Witt helped pave the way as he rushed for a career-high 103
yards and scored two touchdowns. Zachary Erra-Hernandez finished
with 89 yards and a score and Max Reinersten scored his first
collegiate touchdown on a 13-yard run to help the Tartans close out
the win.

Rob Kalkstein was 14-of-21 for 188 yards and two scores while
Akwasi Brefo anchored the defense with nine tackles and a sack.
Eric Rolfes finished with seven tackles in the win.

For 28 consecutive seasons, Case Western
Reservehad Oberlin's number. But
that dominance of the Yeomen ended Saturday as the Spartans
struggled offensively in a 19-2 loss.

Case will have to wait for its shot at revenge, though, as no
future games between the two schools are currently scheduled. The
Spartans lead the all-time series 31-6.

The Spartans (1-1) managed only 195 yards of offense and the lone
points came on Ethan Albers' 98-yard return for a touchdown off a
blocked extra-point attempt in the third quarter. It was one of
three blocked kicks on the day by Albers.

The Spartans failed to run the ball effectively as they managed
just 22 yards on the ground. Billy Beacher led the offense as he
was 9-of-20 for 110 yards.

Jordan Esteban and Everett Dishong tallied 10 tackles apiece to
pace the defense. Dishong also rang up two sacks, which is a
career-best for him.

Notes:Deontae
Bridgemanmade school history on
Saturday for Adrian, returning a fumble 91 yards for a touchdown in
the Bulldogs' 14-0 win over Defiance. It was the longest fumble
return for a score in program history and helped propel Adrian to
its first shutout win over Defiance since 2008....Carter
Hill set a new Waynesburg record for passing yards in
a game as he threw for 483 and three touchdowns in the Yellow
Jackets' 58-48 win over Frostburg State. Hill hasn't been picked
off yet and has thrown for 705 yards and six scores on the
year...Raysean Glenntallied
seven tackles to go along with an interception and forced fumble in
Allegheny's 26-7 loss to Carnegie Mellon on Saturday. The Gators
gave up 19 unanswered points and are 0-2 on the season.